Issue 16, October 2007

At the most recent meeting of the .aero council (DAC), on 6 June, it was recommended that SITA should release currently reserved
special industry and other reserved domain names for registration by eligible members of the aviation community.

Domain names will be released for registration as of 1 November 2007. This list has been reviewed by the DAC
and was correct as this newsletter was published, although a final review was still being undertaken by members of the DAC.

One of the earliest supporters of the project to provide the air transport community with its own Internet top level domain was the FAI - the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale - otherwise known as The World Air Sports Federation

Today a growing number of Federation members are enjoying the three core benefits of using the .aero suffix. First, it immediately identifies an aviation industry focus and increases visibility, particularly when set against the "noise" generated by 30 million .com and .org domains.

Once again .aero will be participating in the high-level ATA e-Business Forum, to be held this year from 17-19 October at
Miami Beach, Florida.

The ATA e-Business Program focuses on the creation of standards for information exchange to support engineering,
maintenance, matériel management and flight operations. Members include airlines, aerospace manufacturers,
distributors, suppliers, repair agencies, software providers and consultants who jointly develop a variety of standards
used to make information exchange easier and more efficient.

Names Beyond is a US-based ICANN-accredited registrar offering online identity protection and domain management services. The company has systems dispersed in India, South East
Asia and Canada, as well as North America. We spoke to their founder, President and CEO Uma Murali.

Q: Your company became accredited in December 2005, making you one of the most recently contracted .aero registrars.
What made you decide to offer .aero?

"There are many myths and untruths about aviation's impact on the environment.

The Internet Society (ISOC) was launched in January 1992 to "provide assistance and support to groups and organizations involved in the use, operation, and evolution of
the Internet". Initially it was envisaged as a professional society supporting development of the Internet as a global research communications infrastructure, led by key luminaries
Vint Cerf, Bob Kahn and Lyman Chapin.

Not surprisingly, the purpose of ISOC has subsequently evolved as the Internet has become near-ubiquitous.

With the success of Second Life and other virtual worlds that exist only within the Internet and the WorldWideWeb, a growing number of individuals and organizations are asking if they can register their virtual names within the .aero domain.

As the organization responsible for the integrity of the ,aero name, SITA is eager to welcome registrants from the virtual community. However, the eligibility criteria for those involved in the virtual community is the same as for those in the real community.